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Sunday, January 18, 2015

Adam West Interview

I've got two cover articles in the new issue of Filmfax, including a feature on the Batman television series, which features my interview with Adam West that I did a few months ago over the phone. Mr. West was funny and charming as always. I've reprinted the interview here:

WEST:
Seth MacFarlane had written a pilot for me a few years ago, and we had the same
kind of comic sensibilities. So when it came to Family Guy, he just called me,
and I said, “Let me look at it,” and I said, “Yeah, absolutely, I want to try
to do this. There is nothing tougher than playing yourself. You really walk a
tight wire, especially when you have to say lines that are that absurd.”

WEISS:
Are there any special challenges to doing voice work in general, as opposed to
live action?

WEST:
Not really. On my end, the way I move, it’s all pretty much the same. Voiceover
work doesn’t require as much getting ready, since you don’t have to do makeup
and wardrobe and all of the people involved. As I get older, voice work is
wonderful, and I do a great deal of it now.

WEISS:
Do you enjoy appearing at comic book conventions?

WEST:
I try to make it fun. I get a kick out of making people happy and interacting
with them. These comic-cons give me a chance to do that in a large way. And it
totally stimulates your fan base. I’ve had over 50 years of this. In order to
have that kind of longevity, there has to be a kind of affection for people. I
think much of that is stimulated by me not being afraid to get out and see
people.

WEISS:
Are you able to go out in public and just be yourself, or do you get called out
pretty often, people calling you Batman and whatnot?

WEST:
I’m able to do that where I live in the mountains in a small town in Idaho. We
have a couple of homes. One in Palm Springs and one in Ketchum Idaho—Hemmingway
country. People around there are used to me, and there’s no problem at all. I
don’t even think of it as a problem. When I travel, there are a lot of people
who know me, but it’s easy. You just say hello. What the hell, I don’t know another way.

WEISS:
Yeah, life is short, you might as well be pleasant to people, right?

WEST:
Of course! You know, I’m a human being, and honest-to-god, there’s nothing
special about me. I just happen to be in a job that’s highly visible.

WEISS:
The Batman TV show DVD and Blu-ray
set will soon arrive. Did they send you a copy

WEST:
Not yet, but they will. I’ve done a lot of work with that. As a matter of fact,
there’s something surprising coming out with me in that set, but I can’t talk
about it yet. A lot of it is biographical—it’s just a tremendous salute.

WEISS:
Was there ever a point in your career where you resented be associated with the
Batman character?

WEST:
Yes there was, to be honest with you. I was so terribly typecast immediately
after Batman that I had to do a
series of movies that I thought weren’t very good. But I had to keep working
because I had a family to support. I felt the more you work, no matter what the
material, if you could bring something fresh and try to elevate that material
in your own way, then that’s a great exercise for an actor. I finally realized
that people love Batman, so why don’t I love Batman? And I discovered that I
did, I really loved it.

WEISS:
That’s a wonderful point to reach in your career. Most people are known for
nothing, and you’re known for portraying a world famous character that
everybody loves, so that’s definitely a wonderful thing.

WEST:
You have no idea how grateful I am. Not many actors have become icons. You can
count us on maybe four fingers (laughs). I’m one of the luckiest actors in the
world.

WEISS:
Let’s get a little more obscure for a minute. Can you tell me one or two
memories of working on Robinson Crusoe on Mars?

WEST:
Sure. You know I worked with a monkey named Mona (laughs), so that was a little
bit of a challenge. But the important thing to me was realizing as we went
along that this movie would become extremely well known because of its—at the
time—high tech effects.

WEISS:
Fans of ’50s and ’60s science fiction tend to be pretty rabid about their
favorite films.Robinson Crusoe on Marshas
definitely become a cult classic.

WEST:
Exactly. And then I did a picture with The Three Stoogescalled The Outlaws Is Coming—their last big
color movie. I did that for several reasons, among them the fact that The Three
Stooges were so incredibly popular in colleges and so on that it did nothing
but expand my fan base. People make fun of me sometimes—critics and the like—for
all of these things, but I pretty much know where I’ve been heading.

WEISS:
It sounds like you have an excellent perspective on your career, and that’s a wonderful,
happy way to be.

WEST:
My main perspective is that it’s just a matter of luck. There are so many
wonderful, talented people out there that never get anywhere, so luck really
enters into this. But you better be ready when the time is right.

WEISS:
I grew up watching The Super Friends on Saturday mornings. I was born in 1967, so the show hit me at the perfect
age. And it played a big role in my career today, writing about popular
culture. Can you tell me a little bit about working on that show?

WEST:
It wasn’t to me the best project. I didn’t enjoy it too much, but I felt that I
should or had to do it. If others, especially young people enjoyed it, that’s
great. That was my reason for doing it. You mentioned video games. Those are
terribly important now as far as income for studios and others. I just finished
doing voice work for Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.

WEISS:
Are there any projects coming up that you’d like to mention?

WEST:
Thanks for the opportunity to plug! I have a series on the Travel Channel
called What You Get for the Money,
which I host. I did a recent pilot with Rob Lowe. I'm hosting the Family Guy Online game, which is a lot
of fun.

WEISS:
One last thing. A friend of mine wanted me to ask you about the time you met
the Pope.

WEST:
I met the Pope one morning at the Vatican with a group of very famous Italian
performers. People like Sophia Loren. I was under a lot of pressure because my
agent and I had to go out the night before and live it up. I mean so much good
Italian wine and food—I wasn’t feeling too steady. And not being Catholic, I
felt maybe I shouldn’t kiss his ring. And I also thought I’m a fairly tall guy,
if I bend way down there and kiss his ring; oh my god, I may never get up
(laughs). So I shook his hand, and I said “Howdy, Pope” (laughs).

Bonus Pic: My my with Adam West when he signed autographs at my comic book store, Fantastic Comics & Cards, during the early 1990s.

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About Me

A freelance writer, I'm the author of the Classic Home Video Games series, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, Encyclopedia of KISS, and other books. I've had articles published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Filmfax, Fangoria, AntiqueWeek, The Writer, Mystery Scene, and more.
Contact me at brettw105 AT sbcglobal.net.